From Russia, With No Love

Here is one of the most ironic things in my life. Over the past 3 or so years, I have become known amongst friends as the person who makes the "best Moscow Mule in Los Angeles." (BTW, that link does not show the recipe I use. Mine is secret. ;-) ) My husband has seriously had one of his friends text him, after trying various Moscow Mules around town, and stating they were, "Not as good as your wife makes." Just last night, 4 separate people were reminiscing about the Moscow Mules I had made them years ago. (And in all honestly, one guy DID say that he finally had one that was a little better than mine.... but the bar he had it at has since closed, so I hereby declare myself the reigning champion once again!) As you can imagine, this is all very flattering. But the reason it is ironic is that, I HATE MOSCOW MULES! And it is very bittersweet to apparently have a knack for making something that so many people find to be delicious and thrilling, whilst you find it to be utterly awful.

The former Cock 'n Bull is now a Land Rover dealership. :-/

First, I would be remiss if I didn't briefly tell you the history of the Moscow Mule. It originated in the 1940's, at the Cock 'n Bull Pub, a now defunct bar that was located a mere 3 blocks from where I currently live. Legend has it that the bartender had a case of ginger beer on hand, that no one would drink.... and he also had a bottle of a type of alcohol that was only enjoyed by Russian immigrants, and not by your average 1940's Angeleno: Vodka (in this case, it was Smirnoff). The bartender decided that maybe he could get rid of these 2 unpopular beverages by combining them, with a squeeze of lime, and serving it in a copper mug... and he then gave the first one to Broderick Crawford. Hence the Moscow Mule was born, and became a sensation. And it is the cocktail that can take the credit for putting vodka on the map in the USA. (Which is another reason why I am mad at the Moscow Mule! I dream of a world where stupid vodka isn't so ubiquitous!!!)

Anyway, my husband became obsessed with the Moscow Mule after he heard this local tale. At that time, you couldn't find a Moscow Mule anywhere in town. However, proving that we are on the cutting edge, the Moscow Mule has since had a resurgence in popularity, and you can get your hands on one in several hip locations about Los Angeles. But before that was the case, he actually went to Ebay and got himself a set of authentic Moscow Mule copper mugs, and had me start making them for friends, using Smirnoff vodka (while authentic, the type of vodka doesn't really matter much) and the genuine Cock 'n Bull Ginger Beer (which is the one crucial ingredient to a true Moscow Mule.)

Here is my husband with his Moscow Mule mugs.

While we all know that I'm too snobby to drink vodka on a regular basis, the vodka isn't my issue with the Moscow Mule... it's the Ginger Beer. I can't explain it. I like Ginger Ale a lot! And I like to think I'm ok with the flavor of ginger in general. But something about the flavor of ginger beer is frankly awful to me! I am also no fan of the other drink that employs ginger beer, the national drink of Bermuda, the Dark 'n Stormy. But if my husband can now eat guacamole with me, then damn, I need to learn to drink a Moscow Mule with him!

I promise you, I got no kick from that mule! I'm not sure which one I found harder to drink... a Greyhound or a Moscow Mule, but I think it may be the Mule. I managed to choke down the whole thing (which included half a bottle of evil ginger beer), and it got a little better once the 500 ice cubes I put in it melted and diluted the awfulness a bit. But it was still bad to the last drop.

I made both of these faces while attempting to drink my Moscow Mule.

Anyway, we currently have *7* more bottle of ginger beer in the house, so I'll try it again... not only as a Mule, but I'll also try it as a Dark 'n Stormy (as we do have some black rum in the house!), as well as just plain ol' terrible ginger beer. Wish me luck.... this one is up there with cranberry juice and grapefruit, in how difficult it will be for me to overcome my aversion to!